


A Garden Just For Us

by RubyTreasure



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, HHW and Afterglow are acquaintances, Ran/Kaoru and Kokoro/Hagumi interactions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyTreasure/pseuds/RubyTreasure
Summary: As part of a friendship-building trip, the members of Afterglow and Hello Happy World all go to a flower garden. Accidentally splitting up from the gang, Himari and Kanon find themselves lost in the garden together. It’s now up to them to find everyone!
Relationships: Uehara Himari/Matsubara Kanon
Kudos: 4





	1. A Simple Miracle

**Author's Note:**

> I originally started writing this on June 15, so any similarities between this and the A Sigh After the Rain event (or inconsistencies with future events) are merely coincidental! Also, the only characters I’ve written works with before are Kaoru, Misaki, Moca, and Hagumi, so I apologize if any of the dialogue sounds OOC!  
> Anyway, I hope you like it :D

“We’re finally here!!”

Himari cheered triumphantly. She and her friends had just left the white and blue bus that took them to their destination. A moment’s glance made it obvious where they went— a flower garden. The grass and the bushes that spread throughout were filled to the brim with flowers. Hydrangeas, carnations, roses, wildflowers… it was as if Himari stepped into a fairytale. Just thinking about those beautiful plants made her feel overjoyed. If it weren’t for the sight of her peers that woke her up from her rose-colored fantasy, she might’ve tripped on the rocks that coated the light gray pavement.

To her left, there was Afterglow. They were all bandmates, as well as her childhood friends. To the right, there was Hello Happy World, a band filled with people that always managed to make others smile. The separation was all accidental, yet it managed to happen anyway. Save for a few conversations here and there, she couldn’t recall any of her friends ever interacting with them, so it was only natural. That unfamiliarity was the reason why they all came: to get to know each other better. Himari didn’t know Kanon well at all, yet she couldn’t take her eyes off of her.

As she was walking, Himari made a conscious effort to walk behind everyone else so she could take a look at her. Her light blue hair, tied in a side ponytail, glistened in the bright summer sun as Kanon strolled towards the entrance. Hearing her talk with her friends, Hagumi and Kokoro, in that calm voice of her’s brightened Himari’s mood.

She listened in on the conversation.

“I heard that there’s a bunch of white lilies by the back! Want to come with me?”

Kanon giggled to herself.

Hagumi chimed in,

“Ooh, white lilies? Those sound nice! How about we go see the sunflowers too?”

Kokoro hopped and turned back, revealing her bright smile.

“Yeah, yeah! I don’t know about Kanon, but I’d love to see those sunflowers!”

As the conversation dragged itself out, Himari peeked at the map Ran was holding in her hands. During the bus ride, she and the rest of Afterglow planned out what flowers they wanted to see first, so now she was reading the red marks they left during the process. The garden was arranged in a circle pattern, with about 30 sections of flowers to travel through. The entrance was in the middle, so even with it alone, the visitors could see the flowers’ beauty for themselves. It was the reason why it got the name, ‘Rotation Garden”, which had a fancy logo inserted in the top-right corner of the map. Next to it was the legend. It listed all of the plant species, bathrooms, and tunnels, among other locations.

Even with the temptation lurking inside that told her mind to drift off, she intently listened.

“First off, we have the red roses. They’re nothing short of classic. If we keep on going right, we’ll see the pink and white roses. Rumor has it that if you run quickly enough while looking at them, their checkerboard pattern will make you feel dizzy.”

Himari thought to herself,  _ “Aren’t we just going to walk?!” _

Knowing Ran, she probably didn’t even realize what her words’ intentions were.

Everyone else helped with the suggestions too. Moca went for devilwoods, Tomoe went for camellias, and Tsugumi went for sunflowers. As for Himari, she chose azaleas. According to the map, her choice would go second.

As Moca made another sly reaction to Tsugumi’s positivity, Himari overheard yet another conversation ringing from Kanon’s group.

“Where are we going first?” Kanon asked.

After a moment of silence, Kaoru responded to her.

“Of course, the roses! They’re too fleeting to resist, don’t you think~?”

“Yeah, I guess so. It seems like Afterglow’s going there, so it wouldn’t hurt.”

Afterglow? Roses?

Himari’s thoughts ran wild once again.

_ “She must’ve been overhearing everyone too! Maybe my fantasy really will become a reality!” _

She was a second away from saying hello to her, but the thought of scaring Kanon off was too large to ignore. She’s always been nervous, so she wouldn’t even dare to make her feel uncomfortable. Despite that, Himari made a plan to talk with her at least once that day.

——————————————————

After heading to the entrance and handing the staff their tickets, everyone went towards the roses. The groups were a little more mixed, but not by much.

By the red rose bushes, Kaoru was the first to make a remark. She gracefully extended her right arm and exclaimed,

“The roses~! Not even a miracle itself can capture the essence of their beauty!”

Kaoru’s enthusiasm was enough to make Himari excited too. She was cool enough on stage, but seeing her up close made her feel a warm aura that didn’t appear otherwise.

Surprisingly enough, Ran was the one bold enough to make a comeback.

“The essence of their beauty? They’re beautiful for sure, but these roses seem just like any other ones.”

Kaoru basked in her confidence and turned the other direction, furthering her point.  _ (How cool!) _

“Alas, you have an exquisite sense of logic, but sadly, I cannot concur. Beyond the surface, all roses have their own charm.”

“I see. Well, there’s plenty of roses around here, so maybe I’ll have a change of heart.”

Just like usual, Ran didn’t fight back with much. _ “Couldn’t she have mentioned the flower arranging she does?” _ Himari thought, but she had a feeling there was something more to it than that… it’s like how even though she’s usually so outgoing, the thought of talking with Kanon made her feel like she could vaporize into thin air.

_ “You’ve got this, Himari!” _

Everyone kept on walking on the path towards the white and pink flowers. Himari wondered if anyone in Afterglow would try running through them, as Ran commented on, but she had a feeling that Kokoro and Hagumi would try it out.

As they got closer, Himari noticed a white sign that’d lead to just that.

**Please don’t run.**

“Kokoron! Look at that sign!”

Hagumi beamed up as if Himari had communicated with her via telepathy.

Kokoro took a second to read it and then looked back at her.

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking, right? We gotta run by them!”

“You don’t think they’ll see us? How about if it’s just for a moment?”

“We’ll be  _ fine _ ! Remember? The suits bought the place out, so there shouldn’t be anyone here!”

Kokoro placed her hands by her hips as she innocently smiled.

They were so far ahead of the group, they didn’t even notice Ran and Misaki warning them against it.

Kokoro and Hagumi ran across the section before stopping. Hagumi rested her head on her shoulder once her feet were steady.

“Man, they weren’t kidding when they told us not to run! My head’s spinning…”

Kokoro seemed disheartened, but shook it off to cheer up Hagumi.

“Yeah, me too! But it’s good that we tried it!”

They ran back to everyone, but just before they arrived, Kanon fell down from a broken hole on the pavement!

“Fuee!”

This was Himari’s chance!

She kneeled beside her and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I am…. wait a minute!”

Kanon turned her head back and forth until she jolted at her once again.

“You’re Himari, right?”

“Mhm! I’m glad you’re alright though!!”

Kanon stood up, and Himari did the same.

“You really are? I would’ve said something earlier, but I didn’t want to bother you…”

“You’re not bothering me! You totally aren’t! I wanted to talk with you too.”

Himari was a second away from turning red. As soon as Himari turned her eyes, she noticed that everyone else was walking to the next section without them.

“Oh yeah, the azaleas are right ahead. How about we walk to them?”

Kanon happily answered.

“That sounds nice. Are you a fan of them?”

“Yep, I like them a lot! They look so soft and pretty, you just gotta love them!”

In a way, they were just like Kanon.

Without another care in the world, they walked in the same direction as everyone else. They talked about azaleas for a while, but eventually branched off into talking about themselves.

At last, they got to the azaleas. There were five types scattered across, but Himari’s favorite was the autumn sunbursts. They were bright red in the middle, but faded out to white in the edges.

“Kanon, which ones do you like most? The autumn sunbursts are my favorite.”

“Hmm… the sweet azaleas are nice. They look pretty, and they smell good too.”

Kanon had her eye on them ever since they came, so it wasn’t a surprise.

“But actually, do you know where everyone else is?”

“Everyone else? They’re right…”

Himari didn’t notice anyone else once she and Kanon started talking. Last time she checked, they were with them, yet when she turned around...

“here?”

She held her hands on her cheeks and yelled to the sun,

“They’re gone!!”


	2. Frantic Hearts

“Oh no, what should we do?”

Himari trembled.

From a moment’s glance, Kanon could tell how worried Himari was. She was worried too, but for Himari’s sake, she set it aside.

Since the beginning, she always had her eyes on Himari. Perhaps it began from her looks, but something about her suggested that there was more to her than she thought.

No matter how nervous she felt, Kanon wanted to help her newfound friend out. She wanted to let her strongest side—one that could guide anyone through chaos—shine.

“They shouldn’t be far away. Why don’t we look around and try to find them?”

_ “Was that too harsh?” _ Kanon wondered.

If Himari knew that she cared, that was more than enough.

Himari furrowed her eyebrows and pouted.

“You’re right! But there’s no use looking for them if we don’t do it right now! What if they’re looking for us too??”

With the heat of the sun shining at them, along with that feeling of loneliness in the distance, she could understand her worries.

“We can go look! I don’t know how this garden is laid out… but it’s worth a shot!”

_ “It’s worth a shot.” _

Something told Kanon that those would be the words that will guide them through.

“Act–Actually, I know how it goes! Ran had a map of the area, so I had the chance to look at it.”

Himari took a glance at the scenery. Beside them were the bright azaleas that taunted them so clearly.

“If we go in a circle, we’ll go through all the flowers here.”

“So that’s how it works. I had no clue… do you think you can lead the way?”

“Sure. Just stay close, alright? I wouldn’t want to lose anyone else!”

Himari’s voice broke at the end.

Of course Kanon would stay close. Why wouldn’t she? The fact that she mentioned that in particular started to break Kanon’s heart as well.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay close. Even from behind I’ll do my best.”

——————————————————

Just like that, they ran off in search of their friends. Himari was a faster runner than Kanon, so it was hard to catch up, but Kanon tried to do so anyway.

They passed through a few of the flower sections. Himari ran at the speed of light, not taking a second to process what was going on. Kanon couldn’t help but think it had something to do with wanting to see her friends again.

She tried her best to run too, but she couldn’t seem to gather that same level of passion. Kanon noticed the colors that were on the bushes, like bright blues and reds, but other than that all of the sights were a blur. She hoped that once everything was settled, she could take a better look at them.

A little while after they started running, Himari was the first to stop for a break. She was still standing, but her back was slanted and her hands laid on her knees. Not wanting to leave her behind, Kanon stopped too. At that point they ended up at the camellia section. She tried to look behind the bushes to see if everyone was there, but the plants were so tall and dense that it was no use.

Himari was still there, as tired as before.

“Himari, are you alright?”

She continued as usual before she stood up to face her.

“Yeah. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

”Are you sure? Nothing bad will happen if we stop.”

Himari’s cheeks flushed into a light pink and her tone became more intense.

“Just give me a minute and I’ll be back to normal! I can’t even imagine being without all of them much longer!”

That’s why she was so worried. Kanon wanted to reassure her, but truthfully, she wanted to keep on going for that reason too. 

She couldn’t help but think that if she went deeper, it’d be an insult to injury.

“That’s a good plan. I hope we’ll find them soon too.”

Kanon nervously laughed.

Himari giggled back and gave a thumbs up to signal that she’d start running again. As soon as Kanon noticed, she started running too. Himari was counting on her for help, and there was no way she’d let her down.

——————————————————

Like before, they both ran as fast as they could. Hearing Himari’s worries firsthand, Kanon felt an extra burst of motivation that pushed her to find everyone. After all, running across the garden was only one part of the battle.

Managing her pace and looking around a bit more carefully, Kanon had a slightly clearer view of the flowers, but it didn’t help much. What she did see only reminded her of her friends. The sunflowers that Kokoro was so fond of, the lilies that Hagumi promised to see with her, the feelings that she held back lingered in her heart.

She couldn’t let these feelings control her. She had to keep on looking, so she did.

At what felt like second-long intervals, she glanced left and right for any sign of life. The two groups were the only people there, so any sounds were important.

Kanon saw Himari, who ran in front of her while doing the same. She had it down to a science: look left, forward, and right, and then look in the opposite order. The look on her eyes said it all— she wanted to look for them no matter what. Kanon felt that way too, yet her heart told her to check up on Himari.

As the sections of flowers flew by, Kanon wondered whether she and Himari would ever find everyone else. She knew inside her heart that they cared enough to look for them, but the true question that lied within was ‘when’.

Kanon wanted to keep on going, but she felt like she needed to take a break soon; however, once she looked at Himari, she wondered if the break would be from her own choice.

As she ran, Himari panted as if she was doing it to save her life. She seemed tired, but she kept on going. It was rather inspiring, actually.

Still searching for everyone, Kanon caught up with Himari. Close up, she saw Himari’s red cheeks and the sweat on her neck. She really was doing her best, so Kanon had to do her best too.

Soon enough, they approached an area with a bench. Surrounding it was a field of spearmint plants and wisterias, with willow trees farther off. Even in the hot summer weather, the area was nothing short of beautiful.

It seemed as though Himari noticed the area too, as Kanon could tell she was slowing down.

_ “Did we stray too far from the garden?” _ Kanon wondered. She never saw the garden’s map for herself, so she had no clue. All she did was follow Himari, yet she felt a pang of shame reach her chest.


	3. A Choice Worth Making

“Himari, I found these devilwoods you might like!”

No response? Himari almost never leaves someone hanging.

Tsugumi was in the front of the group, so she tried to find Himari from there.

She counted the members that were there in her head.

_ “We have Ran, Moca, Kokoro, Hagumi, Tomoe, Misaki, Kaoru, and me. _

_ … aren’t we missing someone?” _

Surely it was a mistake. If anyone was lost, wouldn’t someone notice? Everyone was so busy talking, though… it must’ve happened!

“Himari!! Kanon!! Are you there?”

Tsugumi cupped her hands as if they were a megaphone and asked away. She had to get everyone’s attention!

Just like before, there wasn’t a response. Everyone else looked at her as if she committed a crime.

Misaki had a look on her face that suggested she knew what was going on. After taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she answered,

“I noticed that they left, but I just thought they went to the bathroom.”

Moca nodded and said something along those lines too.

“Yeah, yeah~ And you wouldn’t want to creep up on something like that.”

_ “How are they being so careless?”  _ Tsugumi pondered. Perhaps it was less about being careless, and more about not wanting to bother everyone.

Just as she was going to say something, Kokoro stepped in and joined the argument.

“Creeping up? If they really went there, they would’ve told us about it! At least that’s what I’d do.”

Just as expected of Kokoro. Her perpetual smile could make any argument work.

Moca widened her eyes for a moment before she said, “Ooh yeah, you have a point. If I were you, I’d do that too.”

Kaoru stepped in to add some more support.

“Alas, your insight is exquisite. I wouldn’t want my dear kittens to be lost either~”

Tsugumi knew she could count on them. No matter how casual her friends might act, she always had a feeling that they care for each other just like she does. She couldn’t help but have a smile on her face from how giddy she felt.

She asked once again.

“So, what do you think? I bet they’re looking for us now!”

Tomoe got a word in.

“I’m in!”

That was one!

Soon after, she got a reply that was unanimous. They’d do it!

It was a good thing that happened, or else Himari would have a long talk with everyone once she and Kanon found them.

“If we’re going to find them, would this map help?”

Ran held up the map she took care of during the trip. As expected, it had the locations of everything in the garden, so it’d be a big help.

“Of course! I was thinking they’d be somewhere around here.”

Tsugumi grinned with confidence. Especially with Kanon around, they wouldn’t stray far enough to be a big worry… but it was still worrying.

Tsugumi went up to Ran and took the map from her. After making arrangements with the rest of the group, she started to lead them across the garden in search of their friends.


	4. Just Like Cotton Candy

Once Kanon and Himari approached the bench, Kanon realized how tired she was. They’ve only been searching for a little while, yet she wanted to take a moment to relax anyway.

From the corner of her eye, she sensed that Himari was getting exhausted too. Her breathing being a bit heavier than usual was already a sign, but her face’s red tint made it obvious.

“After all of that, I’m getting a little tired… do you want to sit for a while?”

Kanon nervously laughed, hoping that Himari wouldn’t think she was taking their situation lightly.

After she asked, Himari still stared off into the scenery. Seeing her look so lost, Kanon started to feel a sensation in her heart that she vaguely recognized. Soon enough, Kanon couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

When she was just about to say something else, Himari finally responded.

“Yeah, sure! We probably need the break anyway.”

Himari gave a slight smile to her.

They walked to the bench and sat on opposite corners. There was only enough space on the bench for two or three, so they were rather close. Surrounded by the lightly colored flowers, Kanon’s heart felt a little more at ease.

Himari clasped her hands together and rested them on her lap. Her arms tensely stretched outwards as she sighed, “I hope they’re trying to find us.”

“I hope they’re trying to find us too.”

Kanon thought the same thing, but when she saw the exasperated look on Himari’s face, she tried to think of something encouraging to say. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure of what she wanted to convey, she wanted to help her like everyone in Hello, Happy World has done for her.

“But everyone here cares about us a lot, right? I’m sure that they want to find us.”

“You really think so?”

Himari paused and she turned her head away from Kanon.

“I was thinking, what if we never found each other? If we were stuck here and everyone just left!”

“It couldn’t possibly come to that…”

Or could it? Kanon couldn’t imagine that happening, but if it did, she wouldn’t know what to say. Her heart trembled as she tried to cling onto something to say.

“Even if it does, we still have each other!”

She blurt it out!

“We do...?”

Himari’s cheeks flushed into a light pink as she turned her body towards Kanon.

“Yeah. I know we only met a little while ago, but now that we’re stuck here, I want to help!”

That’s right. She wanted to help Himari out, and she still wants to do that now. 

“That’s not fair, you didn’t let me say anything back!... wait, that’s not it! It’s just...”

Himari’s body shivered as she started to hesitate. Kanon wanted to respond, but it seemed like she already had a hard enough time with her own thoughts.

Soon enough, Himari wiped a tear away from her eye. She cried, “Why are you being so nice to me? Whenever I passed by you and Hello Happy, you always seemed so nervous, but here you are trying to help me out…!”

As Himari’s stare forced its way into Kanon’s heart, Kanon became sure of why she felt this way. If it were any other she, she wouldn’t be so sure, but now, she knew exactly why she felt the confidence she did.

“I owe it all to my band mates, really. From Kokoro’s optimism to Kaoru’s willingness to care for others, from Hagumi’s perseverance and Misaki’s adaptability, being with them made me become stronger. They helped me smile, and now, I want to help you smile too!”

Hello, Happy World really was great. She was lucky to become as close as she is with them to begin with. But more than that, she was glad that she could share their strength to someone that she looks up to.

“Kanon…! It’s like you want me to cry!”

Himari began to move closer. Kanon thought she went to grab something, but instead, she wrapped her arms around her.

At that moment, Kanon realized why she admired Himari so much. Behind that cheerful exterior of hers was an aura of courage— an aura of strength. There was no way she wouldn’t admire her.

In her tight embrace, Kanon moved her arms to hug her back, not saying a word. She felt her tears soaking her clothes, but she didn’t mind. All she needed now was a hug, and Kanon was glad to give one to her.

Time ticked down as slowly as ever, but soon enough, she could feel Himari’s arms loosening. She was awfully quiet, so Kanon asked her, “Are you feeling alright?”

Himari made a small sound of content before responding, “Yeah, now I am. Thanks for the help.”

Her voice was gentler than usual, but Kanon was just glad she didn’t have anything else pent up.

Kanon replied, “Of course!” and left it at that.

Himari moved her head up to look at Kanon. She asked, “Should we keep looking for them now? I have a feeling that we have a chance!”

Now that Himari was feeling better, Kanon felt relieved enough to not have any doubts either.

“Sure! I think we’ll find them too.”

With that in mind, the two let go from their hug and started to leave from the bench.

Luckily, the sky hasn’t darkened yet, so all they had to worry about was the search itself.

Himari held a fist up and said, “Let’s keep on going, for reals this time! You know what that means?”

Kanon planned to hold a fist up too, but the last part of what Himari said left her confused.

“No?”

“Should’ve figured. What I was gonna say was… ei, ei, oh~!”

Himari pumped up her fist and had a look of happiness she only saw her with when they first saw each other earlier that day.

Kanon had a feeling that she could join in, so she did. She quickly pumped a fist up along with her and shouted, “Ei, ei, oh!”

As they walked away, Kanon noticed the sound of wind coming from a few of the bushes in the distance. Even in the heat, the plants were as lively as she and Himari were. Their pace was still rather brisk, but the stress that once filled the air faded into sheer determination.

Following the light grey path under their feet, they sprinted off to the main area of the garden. As she saw Himari looking straight into the center of the garden, Kanon decided to head towards that direction as well.

They exchanged a few giggles amongst themselves, but their bandmates were still on their minds. After all, this trip wouldn’t be the same without them.

——————————————————

“Did you hear that?!”

Himari exclaimed this to Kanon as they passed the hydrangeas. Just like a lost puppy, she quickly looked all around searching for where the sound came from. While Kanon didn’t notice it at first, she soon noticed what she meant.

“Now I do! Do you think it’s them?”

Kanon turned to where Himari last looked.

“Mhm! I can totally feel it!”

While Himari’s explanation was vague, once Kanon noticed the conversation going on behind the bushes, it was as clear as ever.

She looked around just a bit more before inching to the other side. Kanon hesitated, but soon walked there too. The closer she got, the clearer those words became.

_ “I wish Michelle could’ve joined us today. This place is just so nice!” _

Hagumi! She heard her voice, but it couldn’t be that! Or could it?!

As doubtful as Kanon felt, seeing the warm grin Himari had on her face made her want to believe that it was true.

They crept up a little closer. Himari checked the corner to see if no one was watching, but soon enough she couldn’t contain her curiosity. She jolted up. Sparks of electricity went up her body as she muttered, “It’s them!!”

She hid her face with her hands, but Kanon had a feeling that whoever was there could notice her too.

Kanon passed by the corner of the bushes to see what Himari was talking about. She was worried that Himari was getting ahead of herself, but as soon as she glanced over there, she started to feel that same level of excitement. The group’s liveliness made it impossible to not notice their presence.

Just as she was about to tell Himari to come over, she noticed her already kneeling by her side.

They both knew what to do.

“”We’re here!!””

They ran over to them and greeted them. It wasn’t until after this that Kanon realized that running wasn’t the best idea, but she didn’t care. By now, she was just happy to see them.

While there were a few looks of surprise, she could tell that they were glad to have them back too.

“It’s really you!”

“Where were you guys~? We were looking all around for you.”

Tomoe and Moca both welcomed them back. Kanon couldn’t help but feel happy to see that they cared about them to that extent, but it was Himari who felt happy beyond words.

As soon as she knew it, Himari tackle hugged Tomoe while thanking everyone else on the side. It was actually incredible, seeing how much she appreciated them all.

“So you were looking for us too? Thank you, everyone!”

It wasn’t nearly as over the top, but Kanon thanked everyone for their consideration.

“Yeah, we did. We searched this whole garden looking for you two, but just as we were going to give up, you came to us instead.”

Was that so? Somehow, hearing Misaki say that made Kanon feel better about losing hope halfway through.

Kanon approached Misaki, as she was towards the middle of the group.

“You did? Himari and I felt that way too, but seeing you all in the end made this worth it.”

“Guess that makes two of us.”

Misaki paused, but after glancing at everyone else, she added on.

“Actually, now that we’re all here, do you want to look around some more? Even when we came to this area everyone was talking about what else they wanted to see, so we might as well.”

“Sure! I wasn’t able to look closely at most of the flowers, so it’d be nice to see them without having to worry about finding anyone.”

“Then it’s settled. We should probably ask the rest of them though.”

Misaki said that as nonchalantly as ever, but the way she mentioned it being settled made Kanon think that she had a certain plan in mind.

Misaki approached the group and tried to get their attention.

“Hey, everyone! Kanon and I are going to look around some more, if anybody wants to join.”

Himari perked up and replied, “Don’t tell me you’re leaving us behind!

“If we’re going somewhere, it better be with all of us!” Tsugumi cheerfully said.

Misaki had a prideful look in her eyes.

“Follow us, then. We don’t have any more time to waste!”

The bandmates started walking toward the next section along with Misaki and Kanon. As she noticed the crinkling sound of the map unfolding, Kanon felt a slight tug on her arm.

A small pink wisp of hair caught her eye.

“Can I stick around with you some more?”

Himari blushed.

Kanon faced her. As much as the question surprised her, she couldn’t help but feel happy that she asked. With a smile on her face, she said, “Of course you can! Actually, I wanted to stay close to you too.”

She didn’t think much of it at first, but by the time they got to the aisles of lilacs, Kanon noticed that Himari had linked arms with her.

“Thanks, Himari. I’m glad I could get to know you today.”

After she managed to get to know Himari this much, it was only natural that she’d want to thank her— not only for the gesture, but for having the courage to help her up earlier that day.

“Thank you too, Kanon! Maybe we can meet up again... with just the two of us!”

“Yeah… I’d love that!”

At that moment, Kanon felt like all of her worries melted away.


End file.
